Conifers: A successful formula
Similar morphological changes resulted in the evolution of the conifer group (pines, larches, cedars and firs). These plants, unlike cycads produce pollen and egg-bearing cones on the same plant individual, however, fertilization and the development of the seed takes longer, but the seeds are equipped with a rich supply of food and a hard, water-proof coat that permits the seed to remain dormant until conditions are right for germination and the establishment of the seedlings. Conifers are successful, even today, with one-third of global forests being composed of them. Both the biggest and most long-lived individual organism in the world are conifers (the redwoods and the bristle-cones respectively).
Close-up of pinophyte leaves (needles): Norway Spruce (Picea abies)
The conifers, division Pinophyta, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. They are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being trees with just a few being shrubs. Typical examples of conifers include cedars, cypresses, douglas-firs, firs, junipers, kauris, larches, pines, redwoods, spruces, and yews. Species of conifers can be found growing naturally in almost all parts of the world, and are frequently dominant plants in their habitats, as in e.g. the taiga. Conifers are of immense economic value, primarily for timber and paper production; the wood of conifers is known as softwood.
